anyone in Seattle area that can work on old Plymouths?

[Old Doll]

Hello, I'm new to the site.  I have a 1949 Plymouth Special Deluxe and know next to nothing about working on cars.  Anyone around the

Seattle area that could show me some basics...oil change, etc.?

[knuckleharley]

33 minutes ago, Old Doll said:

Hello, I'm new to the site.  I have a 1949 Plymouth Special Deluxe and know next to nothing about working on cars.  Anyone around the

Seattle area that could show me some basics...oil change, etc.?

There sure are. Some of them are located at local community colleges,and teach basic auto maintenance at night. You can also take auto repair courses.

Beyond that your best bet would be to check your yellow pages to see there are any "Chrysler,Dodge,DeSoto,or Plymouth" clubs listed in the phone book,and contact them about joining and learning.

If you can't find anything that way,ask the guys behind the counter at the local auto parts stores if they know of anyone.

[mightmo52]

try neil riddle 206 285 6534 hes more of a parts supplier. 

[Mike36]

Contact Dodgeb4ya, on this site. He's in your area.

[1949 Wraith]

I would also attend local car shows and swap meets and talk with the guys with old cars. I'm sure you will find lots of helpful old car people willing to help.

[Andydodge]

OldDoll.........welcome to the forum...........do you have a Workshop Manual for the car?.....also what about an Owners Manual......this is the type of small booklet that came with the car when new and usually lived in the glove box on the dash...........both it and the shop manual are worth getting and reading thru for no other reason than you find out what your car is and what systems, options and features that are present...............both the shop and owners manuals should be available as reprints and also as CD's tho' I'd suggest getting paper versions simply because you will tend to pick up more info just by reading & flicking thru rather than pressing a button................and .next question is do you have a basic tool set?.........and have you ever worked on cars?..........do you have anyone nearby who can help at all?............the others guys suggestions are a good start tho'..........anyway don't be afraid to ask questions, that how we all learn...............again, welcome and regards from sunny South Grafton , Australia........Andy Douglas 

[keithb7]

The old flat head cars are excellent to start learning how to work on vehicles. Simple stuff from the relatively early age of automobile design. 

Valve in block engines. No power windows, locks, steering or   brakes. A deluxe upgrade was mostly just more simple stuff. No emissions. No sensors. 

Just the basic elements of cars to learn from. Long before things got complicated. I encourage you, if you have the desire, to dig in. Ask lots of questions. You have found an excellent support network here.

 

[Polsonator2]

I live in the seattle area and have a 1939 plymouth with a 1950 218 block.

[JOHN EDGE]

Neil has been a huge help to me and I'm sure he has some recommendations. Great guy and a wealth of knowledge 

[Dodgeb4ya]

Call Neil up... he's in N Seattle off I-5 in Shoreline... has tons of parts for your car!

Maybe in August or Early September I could help you a bit.

 

Edited July 18, 2017 by Dodgeb4ya
spell check

[Old Doll]

thank you all very much!   I just bought a copy of a re-print of the '46-'5 Plymouth Service Manual, but in the oil change process, it referred to "Hi-Drive" and torque-converters, which are sadly enough to even be over my head and I'm the kind of guy that needs diagrams or drawings to understand where to find what I'm looking at.  I have never worked on cars, don't have any tools, so that's why I joined up here.   Looks like Mr. Riddle lives in Florida, now.   What I had in mind was someone who could walk me through an oil change (where everything is, what tools I'll need, how to know if I did it right).

Joe Nault

janault@frontier.com

[Polsonator2]

Sounds like a visit to Harbor Freight is in order to get some basic starting tools

[Dodgeb4ya]

I just saw mr Riddle a couple days ago here in N Seattle. He's not going anywhere.

[Tones52]

Hi Joe, welcome and congrats on your '49 Special Delux. I was in a similar situation when I got my Plymouth and it being 40 years since I worked on a car. And as was shared, these flatheads are a great way to get into this. Plus this forum is a great resource. That's how I was able to replace my water distribution tube that came out in pieces 

The previous owner included a manual with my Plymouth and I also found the multi vehicle (Ford, Mopar etc) s Manual. So that coupled with use of the forum's search tool has been a big help.

There is an old school style auto parts store near me that is staffed by folks that have been there for years and they have a Rolodex of resources and shops that they have referred me to when needed.

Best has been forum members like RodFru2u who came to the house and helped me install a rebuilt master cylinder. 

So good luck with yours and hope to see some photos soon.

[Andydodge]

Olddoll..........good to see you have a service manual, I just did a quick search on US ebay under " 1949 Plymouth books" and there were quite a few service manuals, parts manuals and 2 copies of 1949 Owners Manuals ...............have a look.............andyd

[Redmond49]

Hi Joe,

You might consider attending meetings of the local Chrysler club. We meet the second Tuesday of each month (next meeting: Tuesday, August 8th) at the Park Deli:

19800 - 141st Place NE
Woodinville, WA
(425) 485-7143

We meet to chat and eat dinner at 6:00 PM and then at 7 we discuss club 'business' (usually event planning and story-telling). This is how I connected with folks locally to get help when I bought my p-15 in 2013. Speaking from the school of hard knocks, take your time to find the right people to help you.

Tyson

 

 

 

[Old Doll]

Thanks for the info....I would like to go to the monthly meeting at the deli in Woodinville.   The 12th, right?  

here's a photo of my car.   My uncle and I have passed it back and forth over the last twenty years.   I gave it to him about ten years ago soon after my wife and I bought our house and had kids and, therefore, no time or money to give it a good home.  My uncle, who had both time and money, had the engine rebuilt and new upholstery put in, but then converted his garage into a woodshop, so he gave me the car back last year.   It's named Old Doll after the horse that used to pull the carriage that took my grandfather / my uncle's father to school from his farm each day. 

[Mike36]

Old Doll is still a Doll !

[T120]

Nice car. A book I would recommend for you to own is "Manual For Plymouth Owners"  -1950 edition, published by Popular Mechanics Press ,author C.E Packer. This little hard cover book,(1950 edition ), easy reading, lots of photos and drawings  probably has all the information you will need to properly maintain your 1949 Plymouth. Copies can be found at used book stores and on line..

[Redmond49]

@Old Doll - Joe, please check your private messages for info about the club meeting this Tuesday!

 

 

[greg g]

Gotta be a video on you tube about changing the oiloil oon a vintage car, maybe not a Plymouth but certainly something of similar vintage.  First thing would be to decide what oil to use as most formulations have been tweaked a bit over the past sixty plus years.  Your car wanted sae 30 non detergent oil for operation in normal summer weather.  So unless you know that the engine has not been recently rebuilt, you should stay with that weight and type of oil.  Because of low demand I would skip the auto parts chain stores and go to Napa, or a place like tractor supply to get new oil.  I would purchase six or seven quarts, which will accommodate the change and leave you a quart or so in reserve. You will need basic tools, a floor jack, a couple of jack stands for safety, a suitable drain pan, a funnel, a work light of some sort.  A section of or carpet or some sort drop cloth, or large sheet of card board to lay down on under the car is nice.  If you decide to include changing the oilfilter, a higher level of mechanical aptitude might be needed as they can be tricky to get emptied, and resealed so you don't get leaks at start up.  Although most folks would recommend doing the filter, the factory says to do the filter with every other oil change, so you could improve your skills before attacking the filter.

Nice car good luck with its care and feeding.